Twerking 101: Miley Cyrus is the Subject of College Sociology Course

Given the intense scrutiny of all things related to Miley Cyrus over the past couple of years, this was inevitable: the controversial pop star is now the subject of a college course at New York’s Skidmore University.

This summer, students can sign up for “The Sociology of Miley Cyrus: Race, Class, Gender, and Media,” as taught by Professor Carolyn Chernoff. The class will dig into such concepts as “what happens to Disney stars as they age,” “gender stratification and the hyper commodification of childhood” and of course, “bisexuality, queerness and the female body.”

“I was teaching a course called ‘Youth Culture In and Out of School,’ and the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards became the twerk heard ’round the world,” professor Chernoff told the Daily Freeman about the genesis of the Cyrus course. “I showed that video to my class, and the students had so much to say. Miley is a lens into cultural conflict.”